Kia ora, boys and staff e noho please be seated.  

I’d like to invite Academic Prefect Harry Cassidy forward to deliver today’s reading.  

Today’s reading comes from Philippians Chapter 3: Verses 12-16  

Not that I have already obtained this, or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  

This is the word of the Lord 

(Thanks be to God) 

Rectors Comments: Thank you, Harry. I asked Harry to deliver today’s reading as an academic prefect because today we pause to celebrate our 2023 academic results. I know that you are all now starting the work towards your 2024 academic goals, but the end of year NCEA and NZ Scholarship examinations have produced some outstanding results and we must celebrate them.  

It's the day when we hand out our academic ties to Year 12 students, Academic Colours to Year 13 students, NZ Scholarship badges , Rector’s citations and we acknowledge our Centurions. Before we do that, I want to congratulate all senior students on your fine academic results in 2023. Year 12 students, well done on your 95% pass rate for NCEA Level 1 last year. Year 13, congratulations on your 100% pass rate for NCEA Level 2. I’ve looked back through the last ten year’s worth of results, and no year level has achieved a 100% pass rate for NCEA 1, 2 or 3. That’s 30 sets of results. It means that every single one of the Year 13s in this hall achieved his NCEA Level 2 Certificate. I think they deserve a round of applause from the rest of us. 

It's significant because it lays down a marker for this year’s Yr 12s. The baton has been passed on to you to repeat that incredible pass rate for a second year. And it’s also significant because it now gives our Year 13s a goal for this year, to strive to achieve a 100% pass rate again, this time in NCEA Level 3. 

Harry read from Philippians Chapter 3 as follows: “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize”. After today, the Year 13 forget the 100% that lies behind and they strive towards their 2024 goals.  

We see that word striving in our new College values. It’s the value of striving and achieving. I want to see you striving and achieving in everything you do this year. On the sports field, on the stage, in the band, in your efforts to give service and in the classroom. Not to be the best, but striving to achieve your best.  

You know how I talked about that 100% pass rate for NCEA 2, which is amazing …..well there will be some or our students in Year 13 who achieved 120 credits at Level 2 – double the amount they need. They may have achieved their Certificate endorsed with Merit or Excellence. But here’s the great thing….there will be others who find learning really challenging, who strived and strived all last year and just scraped in with 60 credits. It is their striving to be the best versions of themselves that has achieved this wonderful 100% pass rate for the College and for themselves. You see how it's not just the academic superstars who bring a result like this home, it’s the guy doing it tough battling away towards his 60 credits that gets us over the line. 

I wish our Year 11 boys all the very best as you tackle your NCEA qualifications as a Year group for the first time this year. I hope you work with Mr Harrison to set yourselves a goal of a 100% rate in 2024 – I’m absolutely confident that you can do it.  

We also celebrate those young men in Year 13 who passed their NZ Scholarship examinations at the end of last year as Year 12 students. Scholarship is mainly targeted at Yr 13 students and is the hardest exam you can sit at high school level. It’s beyond NCEA Level 3. Students who pass with distinction are awarded what’s called an Outstanding Scholarship. Incredibly, seven of our current Year 13s who sat the exams a year early achieved Scholarship passes. We earned 26 scholarships in total and this included our Dux from last year Leo Guo earning 5 scholarships including 3 outstanding and Head Prefect from 2023 William Duncan earning 4 Scholarships and one outstanding. William was also named the top student in New Zealand for Agriculture and Horticulture. 

I think we’d all agree that Leo and William and the other 11 boys including those being acknowledged today fulfilled the College value of striving and achieving and we must all feel proud of them.  

The last thing I’ll say is that for us to repeat this incredible 100% pass rate again this year, at any level, the start you make is so important. If you don’t pass NCEA, it won’t be because of what you don’t do in Term 4 and in the exams, it will be because you lost your focus in Term 1 and didn’t recover. Get into good learning and study habits now. 

I came across a great quote the other day: “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” That’s a scary thought right? Year after year, the same mistakes, procrastinating, making excuses, blaming everyone else, not striving and not achieving your potential, not making the most of this incredible opportunity we’ve been given to achieve great things. What and then in 75 years you’re going to look back on all that on call it a life well lived? No, that’s not what you’re going to do. You’re going to live an extraordinary life. A significant and successful life as good man of character, and if it hasn’t already started, it starts today. And don’t let anyone tell you that’s not possible.  

So to conclude, I wish you all the very best with your 2024 goals.  

Before Assistant Rector Mrs Duncan reads the names of our Academic Scholars for 2024, please join me in singing the national anthem, God Defend New Zealand.  

God Defend New Zealand 

Thank you, school please be seated.   

Academic Awards: Read by Mrs Duncan 

Level 1 NCEA 2023 Rectors Citations  

Reat Chen 

Wyatt Holmes 

Selby Jowsey 

Amrinder Singh 

Henry Thompson 

Charlie Wiffin 

Level 2 NCEA 2023 Rectors Citations 

Oliver Carlisle 

Monty Cullwick 

Edward Harvey 

Spencer Newman 

Sam Young 

Level 1 Academic Tie – GPA of 70%+ for best 5 subjects 

Archie Absolom Ari Milne 

Adam Blair Liam Monteith 

Ben Boere Oscar Morice 

Jack Brownlie Liam O'Callaghan-King 

Hunter Bruce Tom O'Shaughnessy 

Hunter Carew Manraj Padda 

Jay Carey-Smith Sam Parbhu 

Zack Caton Charles Park 

George Chambers Jacob Porter 

Isaac Chou Harrison Quayle 

Ben Currie Jiten Ravla 

Niko Drayton Nicholas Robertson 

Finn Fitzgerald Noah Rogers 

Tom Haliburton Max Russell 

William Harrison Niko Sawyers 

Daniel Hoffmeister Angus Scott 

Leo Johnson Charles Sisam 

George Kenny Hugo Symes 

Theo King Gino Wang 

Fletcher Mackay Charlie Wenley 

Matt McKendry William Young 

Matthew McPhail  

Level 1 Academic Tie with Distinction – GPA of 90%+ for best 5 subjects  

Alexander Boustridge  

Jimi Logan  

Josef Oosthuizen  

Chris Proctor 

Jaimil Ravla 

Level 2 Colours – GPA of 70%+ in top 4 classes  

Ethan Bernard Philip Larkin 

Jake Bhudisanont Carl Marshall 

Ronan Brier Jack Morison 

Tom Cassidy Fergus Morunga 

Gordy Chatfield Oskar Norman 

Michael Davis Ryan Palmer 

Jacksen Diack Jacob Parbhu 

James Dowley Zion Perrott 

Oscar Ellis Keaton Pitcher 

Thomas Flay Finn Reid 

Will Foster Charlie Ross 

George Herrick Tom Speers 

Frederick Hoggard George Taylor 

Harry Huxford Hugo Till 

Keegan Jensen Jett Varcoe 

Francis Kirkland Luke Wilkins 

George Ladbrook Alex Wu 

Level 2 Colours with Distinction – GPA of 90%+ in Top 4 Classes 

Harry Cassidy 

Henry Klingender 

Armaan Kumar 

Cameron Strong 

William Turner 

Level 1 Centurion Awards – 100% Grade point Average  

Alexander Boustridge 

Level 1 Accounting, Level 1 Economics & Level 1 Mathematics 

Daniel Hoffmeister 

Level 1 Art 

Jimi Logan 

Level 1 Art 

Matt McKendry 

Level 1 Art & Level 1 Physical Education 

Ari Milne 

Level 1 Art 

Liam Monteith 

Level 1 Accounting 

Josef Oosthuizen 

Level 1 Music 

Jacob Porter 

Level 1 History 

Harrison Quayle 

Level 1 Geography 

Jaimil Ravla 

Level 1 Accounting, Biology & Chemistry 

Noah Rogers 

Level 1 Physical Education 

Jack Workman 

Level 1 History 

Level 2 Centurion Awards – 100% Grade point Average  

Ethan Bernard 

Level 2 Physical Education 

Tom Cassidy 

Level 2 Physical Education 

Gordy Chatfield 

Level 2 Physical Education 

Will Foster 

Level 2 Physical Education 

Keegan Jensen 

Level 2 Art Photography 

Henry Klingender 

Level 2 Art Design 

Philip Larkin 

Level 2 Digital Technology 

Carl Marshall 

Level 2 Art Design 

Josef Oosthuizen 

Level 2 Mathematics & Level 2 Physics 

Chris Proctor 

Level 2 Chemistry 

Finn Reid 

Level 2 Physical Education 

Tom Speers 

Level 2 Art Design 

Hugo Till 

Level 2 Physical Education 

William Turner 

Level 2 Physics 

Luke Wilkins 

Level 2 Chemistry 

Level 3 Centurion Awards – 100% Grade point average  

Harry Cassidy 

Level 3 Economics, Level 3 Physics, Level 3 Statistics 

Armaan Kumar 

Level 3 Physics 

Cameron Strong 

Level 3 Chemistry, Level 3 Physical Education & Level 3 Physics 

NZ 2023 Scholarship Winners 

Harry Cassidy - Scholarship in Statistics 

Te A Kruger-Taylor - Scholarship in Te Reo Maori 

Philip Larkin - Scholarship in Accounting 

Jack Morrison - Scholarship in History 

Oskar Norman - Scholarship in English (Outstanding)  

Jacob Parbhu - Scholarship in English 

Cameron Strong - Scholarship in Chemistry 

Rector Comments: 

Thank you, Mrs Duncan and congratulations boys. I’ll now ask Te Ā Kruger-Taylor to present this week’s Cultural report.  

Cultural Report  

Kia ora boys 

My name is Te Ā Kruger-Taylor and i am honoured and privilaged to My name is Te Ā Kruger-Taylor and I am honoured and privilaged to have been chosen to be one of your cultural prefects for 2024, and I’m excited to embark on this journey alongside each and every one of you. I will be working in the cultural cornerstone with our other cultural prefect Ryan Palmer. 

Since I started my journey at Lindisfarne, I’ve always been really keen on involving myself in the cultural cornerstone. For me, Lindisfarne College isn’t just a school, it's a community that celebrates and embraces cultural expression.  

With our strong commitment to the arts and cultural endeavors, Lindisfarne offers a great variety of opportunities within its cultural cornerstone. Whether it's through kapa haka, drama, music, speech, visual arts, and dance, there's something here for everyone to explore their passions. 

Last year, I discovered a newfound passion for acting when I was casted in the main role of our school production, "The Addams Family." Stepping onto that stage was a transformative experience for me. I’ve also been involved in our School Kapa Haka group for the past five years and wouldn’t have it any other way.  

For those who are new to the college, we have three major music groups bands, including the symphonic band, jazz band, and the pipe band. These groups travel to festivals, competitions, and performances throughout New Zealand, including  the Waikato, Auckland the Bay of Islands and Invercargill. Other groups include Line Drumming, the Training Band, Improvisation Class, and Chamber Music. The endless opportunity to practice and perform in these groups allows these band members to not only grow their musical knowledge, but also experience what it’s like to be a professional playing on tour, or in a big theatre. And you get the chance to create strong friendships with people you may not have otherwise met.  

Speech and Drama and Debating is also an essential part of the College and will help you gain confidence in speaking and making your point clear in front of an audience.  

This year has already started well:  music and speech and drama lessons are underway and the first proper rehearsal for the school production of Grease with Iona College took place last night. The year 7/8 lunchtime cultural programme will begin next week, which will be an exciting time for these young boys.  

As I stand before you today, I am reminded of the incredible Cultural Prefects who have come before me. Their leadership, and dedication to our school community have inspired me. And now, it is my turn to give back to Lindisfarne College to pay respect to those prefects who have inspired me and to contribute to the legacy of cultural excellence that defines our school.  

Last things last, I want to Thank you for entrusting me with the privilege of being  your Cultural Prefect. If you have any questions about how you can be more involved in the cultural side of the school, please come see myself or Ryan for a chat. I am excited to get to know each and every one of you, Thank you all, and have a great weekend. 

Rector Comments: 

Thank you, Te Ā.  

Thank you all for a positive week and in particular the part you played in supporting Rory and his family on Tuesday and for honouring those who suffered as result of Cyclone Gabrielle this time last year.  

I wish you all a safe and enjoyable weekend. 

I’ll now invite Reverend Dunnett to close our assembly in prayer. 

Article added: Friday 16 February 2024